Painting From Life vs. From Photos
The design of web-pages for displaying art is a matter of great practical as well as aesthetic importance. One design that I find striking, because of its boldness, is Jannie Regnerus’ web-page. This page (detail below) is minimal to the extreme. It is so unlike what one is used to in a web-page that at first it seems confusing. But it is precisely this unusual quality that makes the layout a successful frame for Regnerus’ photography. One has the feeling of having left the noisy bustle of the internet and having arrived in a quiet place.

I say the design is bold is because, by departing from expectations, Regnerus takes a risk that visitors may be confused and leave the site before they see anything. For those visitors who do look more closely, the simplicity of the layout serves the intended role of providing a quiet context for the artwork.

Is minimalism inherently good for the internet?

Is Regnerus’ site a model for other internet sites?

First posted April ’06 [note some interesting comments there by Arthur].

The minimal approach, Regnerus’ model in particular, has influenced my thinking about website design; the Art & Perception layout reflects this. Could we use more eye-candy? My thinking is that the minimal layout allows the latest post define the site visually — ideal for an art site, as I see it.

7 Comments

Regnerus’s design probably works well for her, at least with people going there with some expectation. It becomes like a performance, with a quiet period as the house lights go down and the curtain starts to open. But it wouldn’t fit everyone by any means. If the goal is to catch the eye of web searchers and browsers, I think it’s a good idea to have a sample piece of art visible on the first page — or at least the second.

I also prefer a fairly minimal presentation for my personal website, but with more ability to navigate at will among images via thumbnails. For a group site like A&P, the minimalist white-wall gallery is appropriate. But maybe we should offer a prize to whoever best counters the site look with the look of their individual post.

I don’t think her website should be a model for other sites, except in the sense that it’s really well designed. I believe Edward Tufte would approve. One of the things I like about hers is that it’s refreshingly different from other sites. If it became a model, then it wouldn’t be (different).

As far as A&P, I think what we’ve got works great. If someone posts an image, there it is. Any eyecandy beyond that seems like it would be noise.

Minimalism is one thing, in respect to Regnerus’ site is just the basics, easy to understand, and no more. There is a tendency in web design, however, toward obscurity in navigation and toward novelty and new modes of interaction that quickly grow tiresome. Check out the Communication Arts Interactive award winners (http://www.commarts.com/CA/interactive/cai06/) for the cutting edge examples of the latest in impenetrable web sites.